Mansour hopes to impress Roosters
LEBANON winger Josh Mansour has batted his eyelids at the Sydney Roosters after admitting he was shocked and disappointed at how his year played out at their bitter rivals, South Sydney.
Mansour officially became a free agent on November 1, meaning he is without a deal for the first time in more than a decade as he prepares to take on the Kangaroos and former teammate Latrell Mitchell in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
The 32-year-old Mansour put his future on the backburner to concentrate on the Cedars’ campaign, which will reach a crescendo in Leeds on Saturday morning (AEDT) against the defending champions.
Lebanon’s
Aussie coach Michael
Cheika’s assistants at the World
Cup include Roosters assistant Matt King and Mansour admits he would find it hard to say no if they came knocking.
“I have already chirped into his (King’s) ear,” Mansour said.
“The Sydney Roosters are a great club. If an opportunity arose, I would definitely explore it.”
He has been a pivotal figure in their World Cup thus far, giving his hopes of securing a new contract a boost by starring on the wing for the rugby league minnows.
“At the beginning of the year I didn’t have that plan – I didn’t see it coming,” Mansour said of a season in which he only played five games in first grade.
“It really shocked me the way the year went but I just had to swallow my pride and ride out the year. I just tried to be as professional as I could.”
And while Lebanon will be massive underdogs, Mansour refuses to give up hope, which is the same stance he has taken with his NRL career.